Support for those affected by fire at Dairy Court

Staff from both Sovereign and Test Valley Borough Council will be available to provide ongoing housing and welfare support. 

Test Valley Borough Council – Tel 01264 368000 or email dcourt@testvalley.gov.uk

Sovereign (SNG) – Tel 0300 500 0926 or email dairycourt@sng.org.uk. Visit www.sng.org.uk/fire-response-dairy-court.

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Any Dairy Court resident will be provided with temporary accommodation if they are unable to make alternative arrangements.  This can be at any stage up until you are able to return to your home.

Sovereign social housing tenants – Sovereign will be to secure you temporary accommodation.  To make these arrangements please contact Ian Patterson or Tyler Simpkins on 0300 500 0926 or via e mail dairycourt@sng.org.uk

Leaseholds/Shared ownership occupiers – Sovereign’s Building Insurance company will provide and arrange your temporary accommodation, please contact them directly.  If you do not have the contact details please Adrian Selway or Ivie Otenaike on 0300 500 0926 or via email dairycourt@sng.og.uk.

Immediately temporary accommodation is likely to be a hotel that has availability.  Sovereign are working to identify some more settled temporary accommodation in order to provide stability. 

As part of the building is structurally unsafe, there are limitations on access.

Flats 1 to 17 

Limited access is possible, please arrange this in advance with Sovereign rather than arriving on site unannounced as the team need to accompany you and follow certain safety rules.

Flats 18-25 

Limited access is possible, please arrange this in advance with Sovereign rather than arriving on site unannounced as the team will need to retrieve anything for you for now, and follow certain safety rules.

Flats 26-41 

Due to the extent of the damage to this block, no access is possible to these flats. Please speak to Sovereign for more information if you haven’t done so already.

Visit www.sng.org.uk/fire-response-dairy-court for more information.

Flats 1 to 17

These flats were not directly affected by the fire so Sovereign are keen to help you move back as soon as you can, when it’s safe to do so.

As all power was turned off to the building as part of the emergency response, this requires various checks first by the fire service,  structural engineers and building safety teams, as well as some work on-site by gas and electric teams. Sovereign also need to erect safety fencing to the blocks housing flats 18 to 41, so that you can have safe access to your homes.

This work is underway and will continue week commencing 9 June. Sovereign will keep you updated on this and continue to provide temporary accommodation until you’re able to return.

If you’re staying with family or friends but circumstances change, please let them know.

Flats 18 to 25

The fire service had to access and drill through the walls of the odd numbered flats in the block, to help put out the fire and check this had not spread to the adjoining walls. This means there is considerable damage to these flats as well as smoke and other damage to communal areas and structural damage to a part of the roof.

To ensure the fire safety integrity of the block, residents are unlikely to be able to return until all this work has been completed.

Sovereign hope to be able to give you an update on timescales as things progress but please be aware that you will not be able to return to your homes for some considerable time. 

They will speak to you about longer-term temporary accommodation and also work with you to arrange for removal and/or storage of your possessions. We are working with Sovereign to support people with moving and storing their belongings.  

If you have contents insurance, please speak to your provider regarding storage costs. If you don't have contents insurance, please speak to family and friends and explore storage options. 

Flats 26 to 41

This block was severely damaged by the fire on all floors, including the roof. It is structurally unsafe and uninhabitable, so Sovereign will need to assess what this means for the future of the block.

Sovereign appreciate this is devastating and we’ll fully support you in making longer-term arrangements that are suitable for you, your family, and the needs of your household.

Visit www.sng.org.uk/fire-response-dairy-court for more information.

We have frozen the council tax accounts for all properties affected by the fire, which means that you will not need to pay your council tax for the period you are unable to live there.

We have applied a freeze to all council tax direct debits, so we won’t take payments from your account. If you have arrears then we will be in touch with you separately to discuss these, but the council tax freeze will still apply.

If you’re a shared owner, there’s a clause in your lease about suspending the rent element - or a portion of it - where your home is rendered unfit for use. Sovereign are awaiting information about the fire to confirm if and where this clause will apply. They will let you know about this as soon as they can.

They are also investigating any adjustments that may be required to your service charge, in accordance with contracts and leases, and they will give you more information as soon as possible.

Please reach out to their Customer Accounts Team for support and advice by calling 0300 5000 926 or emailing dairycourt@sng.org.uk, so they can discuss your individual circumstances with you.

If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, please don't change your address while you are in temporary accommodation.

(Please continue to pay your mortgage - you'll need to speak to your mortgage company about these circumstances.)

It is recommended that you contact your electric and gas suppliers to notify them of the situation, they may be able to offer flexibility with payments or pause your accounts. 

Think about any other household supplier you have such as TV and internet packages. This also includes TV licences which are attributed to a property address rather than an individual How do I tell you about an unoccupied address or empty property? - TV Licensing ™  

If you need help with transport, please contact Test Valley Borough Council on 01264 368000.

If you have been placed into accommodation by Sovereign Housing please contact them for support with transport

We may be able to support you to access larger transport to move belongings and items of furniture if this is required. Please contact us on 01264 368000.

Unity can also assist with their buses, you can call them on 03304 004 116, or email info@unityonline.org.uk.

Contact your insurance provider to notify them of the fire. Citizens’ Advice Test Valley can assist if you need any help with this. You can contact them on 0808 812 6681.

Sovereign hold the policy for building insurance. Please contact them direct if you need a copy of this, on 0300 500 0926.

You may need a fire incident number/reference when making a claim. You can get that directly from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service by going to this website: Request an incident report - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Official website of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service.

Alternatively the council or Sovereign may be able to provide you with the number, please contact us/them directly.

If your pet needs to stay with you in temporary accommodation, then please let Sovereign or the council know, and we will try to facilitate this.

You may wish to ask family or friends to look after your pets temporarily, alternatively there have been many offers of support made in local Facebook pages.  Test Valley Borough Council's Animal Welfare Officer, Rod Mason, may be able to give you further advice. Please contact him on 01264 368000.

Unity run the Andover Pet Food Bank. You can call them on 03304 004 116, or email info@unityonline.org.uk

The team at Andover Mind is on hand to provide mental health support to anyone affected by the fire. You can contact them on 0300 303 5772. You can also access their Safe Haven support, which provides practical and emotional help at www.andovermind.org.uk/services/north-and-mid-hampshire-safe-haven/

We have contacted local GP surgeries to notify them that Dairy Court residents may need prescriptions to be processed urgently. Please contact your GP surgery directly by phone and they will be able to assist.

A number of support pages have been set up on Facebook to coordinate offers of donations of clothing, toiletries, supplies for babies and children, and other essential items. You can join the Support for Families Affected by Andover Flats Fire 1/6/25 on Facebook. If you can’t access this group, contact the council on 01264 368000.

A number of local charities have also made offers to support people with items, these include:

Unity – 03304 004 116 or email info@unityonline.org.uk.

Andover Community Engagement – 13-17 Bridge Street, Andover.

Andover Food Bank – St John the Baptist RC Church, Alexandra Road Andover, SP10 3AD – Food available until 12:30 with a referral from the council.

Wednesday Warm Hub – Stop, Shop, Eat – Wednesdays 9-12, King Arthurs Hall, King Arthurs Way, Andover SP10 4BS (term time only).

For general help and support, including financial advice, you can contact them on 0808 812 6681.

Think about anything you may receive by post, you may need to contact these organisations and provide them with an alternative address while you are unable to access your home.

The Post Office offers a redirection service which is chargeable: Moving home? Don’t miss the mail that matters. | Royal Mail Group Ltd

There may be other agencies you need to notify of your situation and a temporary address – these may include, your employer, children’s schools, Department for Work and Pensions, GP and other health bodies, bank, anyone you get regular deliveries or subscriptions from. 

Andover Leisure Centre – offering free shower facilities to Dairy Court residents.

Purple Oaks Support – offering accessible shower facilities and access to the Activity Hall from 9:30 – 4:30 (The Wellington Centre, Winchester Road, SP10 2EG.

Available drop-in sessions hosted by Andover Parish:

Mustard Seed SMWA Mondays 9.30 - 11am at St Michaels Church, Weyhill Road SP10 3BB

Lounge Mondays 2 - 4.30pm at St Marys Church Centre SP10 1ER.  Drop in space for adults.

Little Angels Tuesdays 12 - 2.30pm at St Pauls Church, Smannell Road SP11 6JP

Mustard Seed SMA Fridays 10 - 11.30am at St Mary's Church SP10 1DP

For more information on what’s on visit  What's On - Andover Parish.

What to do after a house fire | British Red Cross